I thought now was as good of a time as ever to evaluate my opinion on who deserves to win the Globes most, so I thought I'd do a quick editorial on who I hope vs. who will win awards tonight. This year has lots of question marks popping up for nominations, and I want to evaluate how other critics respond to the predictions conceived by them.
I may as well get television out of the way before the goods. Anything involving Breaking Bad simply deserves to win as it could not have ended more smoothly, and The Big Band Theory will probably take anything comedy-related. Admittedly, I'm quite ignorant as to what people of television committees prefer, but those are my thoughts (Post on Breaking Bad may come eventually).
The first few are some which I don't really have enough to say, so I will just have my predictions listed.
Best Animated Film: Frozen
Best Original Song: "Let it Go" - Frozen
Best Original Score: Hans Zimmer - 12 Years a Slave
Best Screenplay: John Ridley - 12 Years a Slave
Best Supporting Actress:
Who should win: Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle)
Who will win: Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle)
Admittedly, I was torn between her and 12 Years nominee Lupita Nyong'o, but I feel that with her awards savyness, Jennifer Lawrence will be called up as her name is announced. This is not to say that she doesn't deserve it, either. Her presence was strongly felt with her glorious presence, and consistency to drive the viewer insane as she knew everything that could affect the entire operation with DiMaso, Prosser, and Rosenfeld.
Best Supporting Actor:
Who should win: Bradley Cooper (American Hustle)
Who will win: Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club)
Yes, I'm jumping on the bandwagon of saying that Leto will likely sweep any major awards ceremony present (besides the BAFTAs). The amount of buzz makes Leto a gambling man's best bet, but Michael Fassbender should not be overlooked for his intimidating presence when faced against Patsy or Solomon. My personal pick would be Bradley Cooper as FBI agent Richie DiMaso due to his silly charisma and his hysterics when interacting with the main characters, as well as his family. Alas, it is unlikely he may even receive a nomination for anything else for this award.
Best Actress - Comedy:
Who should win: Amy Adams (American Hustle)
Who will win: Amy Adams (American Hustle)
Seeing a trend, I suppose? Now is as appropriate of a time as ever for Adams to receive her first Golden Globe. This years was a vapid year for this category, and all of the Best Actress Oscar contenders may appear in the from the Drama category. I due feel that Adams is deserving for Best Actress because of her having yet another strong performance in a strong performance-heavy movie. Probably the only person that will give Adams a run for her money is Meryl Streep, but her name being synonymous with awards season, the Hollywood Foreign Press will probably give her another shot to win next year.
Best Actress - Drama:
Who should win: Emma Thompson (Saving Mr. Banks)
Who will win: Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)
Admittedly, I haven't seen Allen's new flick, but I won't turn against people's word about how well Blanchett's performance was. This year is a tight category where honestly anybody could snatch it, but I feel that Thompson gave the best female performance of 2013 with her cynicism as the uptight P.L. Travers in Saving Mr. Banks. Her arrogance garnered pathos from the audience when they witness what brought Travers into a depressed, lonely woman. Still, the award will be between anybody except for Kate Winslett for who may win.
Best Actor - Comedy:
Who should win: Bruce Dern (Nebraska)
Who will win: Bruce Dern (Nebraska)
Yep, the one award I'm think American Hustle won't take or deserve. Bruce Dern was simply delightful as Woody Grant in Nebraska, as his progression seems to be nonexistent. He is a character I admire for his adamancy of wanting to achieve his dream of receiving his one million dollars, despite what others may say. The HFP will want to reward him for a long career of hard work, and at 77, he will receive it rightfully so.
Best Actor - Drama:
Who should win: Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave)
Who will win: Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave)
The most riveting of any performance this year, it would be a sin to deny Ejiofor as the troubled Solomon Northup the big award. Ejiofor was very captivating with the portrayal of the live Northup lived when captured into this society he did not belong in (of course, no one does, but the fashion of him being tricked into slavery was painful to witness), and the HFP loves seeing people from Europe using American accents in films (see Christian Bale, Daniel Day-Lewis).
Best Director:
Who should win: Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity)
Who will win: Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity)
Praise McQueen's 12 Years all you want, but Alfonso Cuarón simply took the audience to space and inhabited all of the uncomfortable atmospheres that we all never want to be in. He took the viewer on an adventure with Ryan Stone, and the viewer embraced with her whatever trouble would arise as she fights to survive where the chances to are second to none. It still is worth noting that McQueen still has the possibility to take it, and it's essentially a battle between the two, but comparing both is like apples and oranges.
Best Motion Picture - Comedy
Who should win: The Wolf of Wall Street
Who will win: American Hustle
There is absolutely no chance Wolf will win this award, but I'll be damned if I don't genuinely proclaim that this was the best film of 2013. The humorous, lively world that Scorsese took us on was riveting, and DiCaprio was indefinitely memorable as the charming Jordan Belfort. Hustle will take it upon the means that this was the only film that was wide-released and not controversial. Her, Nebraska, and Inside Llewyn Davis are simply too small to receive major praise, also barring that they came late to a point where they will not be selected to win. I hope the producers of American Hustle enjoy this award, and I hope to see more from David O. Russell in the years to come.
Best Motion Picture - Drama
Who should win: 12 Years a Slave
Who will win: 12 Years a Slave
Alfonso Cuarón may take Best Director, but there is no doubt that 12 Years will take this year's award for Best Drama. This film was an adventure from beginning to end, with a strong ensemble cast, heralded by Steve McQueen and Chiwetel Ejiofor with their career bests. True stories seem to be the favorites as of recent for major awards (see King's Speech, Argo), and this seems to run with the Hollywood Foreign Press as the frontrunner.
For all I know, I could be 100% wrong with all of these and the awards will go in a different direction. If so, I still enjoyed sharing my opinion with everyone reading this. Although this year was a little weak at first, it picked up in the end for another solid year of film. Lastly, who would've thought that the nominees for Best Comedy would annihilate Drama for the amount of high-art films?